Do Chips in Your Teeth Really Cause That Much of a Problem?

Posted on 8/30/2017 by Beautiful Smiles Office

Most adults have at least one chipped tooth. Most of those chips are incredibly minor, and not even something the dentist will do much about. However, if you get a larger chip, is it time to worry? The answer depends on the chip itself. Some chips are merely a sliver of enamel off of your teeth. This isn’t something to necessarily panic over. However, if the chip is bigger, it is definitely time to consider getting it filled in.

Treating Dental Chips

A minor chip may be slightly buffed to make sure the edges are not sharp, and your dentist may keep a close eye on it, but usually little or no further treatment is required. This is because there really isn’t anything that can be done. Bigger chips can be filled in if they are large or deep enough. Typically this is done through dental bonding. At that point, a bit of composite filling is placed over the chipped area, let cure, then buffed to match the surrounding tooth. Usually people cannot even tell you had anything done on that tooth once the chip is filled in.

If the chip is really bad, it can be something that your dentist may want to address with a bigger procedure, such as a dental crown. This caps the tooth so that it cannot continue to crack or chip worse, but this is only done in rare circumstances.

Chips in your teeth may be no big deal, or they could pose a risk to the health of your tooth. Find out which it really is by seeing your dentist and asking their opinion about it. They can examine the tooth and decide the best method to protect the tooth in question from there.

If you have any questions or would like to learn more, please call us today at (530) 206-9211.